US Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Halt Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision

In a significant development, the US Supreme Court has declined a petition from a consumer group seeking to obstruct Microsoft's takeover of Activision Blizzard. The group had submitted an urgent request on Saturday to thwart the deal ahead of the July 18 deadline, but Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan rejected the appeal. The plaintiffs had argued that the acquisition should be temporarily suspended pending the outcome of the Federal Trade Commission's appeal to the Ninth Circuit, following its earlier defeat in the US District Court. However, the Ninth Circuit dismissed this appeal on Saturday. This is not the first attempt by the group to prevent the acquisition, having initially filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in December. The case was dismissed in March by US District Court Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, but the plaintiffs were allowed to refine and refile their lawsuit. Despite resubmitting their case in April, they were denied a preliminary injunction in May. Microsoft and Activision were slated to finalize their merger, but negotiations for an extension are reportedly underway as the companies address the remaining regulatory hurdles. The primary obstacle now lies with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, which had blocked the deal earlier this year. The regulator is open to reconsidering its decision based on Microsoft's revised proposals, with a final decision expected by August 29.